The Corvette, of course, has virtually no sales outside of North America. However, there are Corvette owner and enthusiast clubs in more than 100 countries.
In an unusual move, Chevrolet has announced that the 2014 Corvette Stingray convertible will make its world debut on 5 March at the Geneva Motor Show. Usually automakers reserve showing major variants of a car until after the first model is launched in the marketplace, when an added boost is needed to hype sales after a year or two. The 2014 Corvette Stingray fastback goes into production this summer with the convertible due a year later.
Given the well-publicized success of the Stingray reveal at the NAIAS in Detroit last month, the move appears designed to bolster GM’s battered image in Europe that is the result of years of losses at Opel Vauxhall, and boost Chevrolet – its only global brand. It is also a counter thrust in Europe against, arguably, the most successful global sports car of all time, the 911 of Porsche, which celebrates its 50th anniversary during 2013. This, and the fact that 820,000 911s have been built since 1963, will no doubt be emphasized at the Geneva Show.
“It’s fitting to introduce the new Stingray convertible on the global stage at Geneva, because Corvette is the face of Chevrolet the world over,” said Susan Docherty, president and managing director of Chevrolet and Cadillac Europe. “It is an icon that has long been recognized and admired even in countries where it’s never officially been offered.”
The Corvette, of course, has virtually no sales outside of North America. However, there are Corvette owner and enthusiast clubs in more than 100 countries. In fact, 58% of the 1.1 million fans who like Corvette’s official Facebook page are outside the United States, which does GM shareholders little good.
“Every Corvette is designed at the outset as an open car,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. “The new Stingray is no different, with the coupe and convertible designed to excel in any situation – be it your daily commute, a drive across the continent, or charging through twisting back roads.”
The so-called C7 – for the seventh generation of the fabled – and now fading – All-American sports car is an attempt to revive interest in what might be a dissolving market, the 2-seat, front engine, rear-drive American sports car.
Underneath a revised Crossed Flags logo that dates back to the original 1953 Corvette, is a remake of the current production C6 formula that resulted in a sales drop to about 14,000 units annually during the last couple of years.
Chevrolet is betting that the addition of multiple creases and accent lines in the fiberglass shape, along with the return of the Stingray name on the base car (that will cost well north of the current $50,000 coupe), along with a new 7-speed manual transmission – finally matching the Porsche 911, as well cylinder deactivation for the latest versions of the small-block V8 – will be enough for the balance of this decade to keep the Corvette relevant and profitable.
